Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development at the African Union Commission (AUC), Ama Twum-Amoah has stressed that the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as the continent’s single market cannot succeed without the free movement of people across the continent.
Speaking at the African Prosperity Dialogues on the theme “Empowering SMEs, women and youth in Africa’s single market,” she emphasised that a single market without mobility was like “a marketplace with locked doors.”
According to her, enabling Africans to move freely will allow young people to access skills, compete in wider labour markets, and drive innovation across borders.
“When Africans move, ideas move. When ideas move, economies grow. Sadly, we are not moving on this continent. The greatest barrier to Africa’s integration today is not geography. It is a restriction.
“We have built a continental trade architecture through AfCFTA, but trade does not happen in theory; goods do not cross borders alone, people carry them. Services do not scale without skills. Investment does not flow without mobility,” she said.
Ama Twum also highlighted the role of women in Africa’s informal and cross-border trade, warning that many continue to operate under unsafe and uncertain conditions due to restrictions and weak protection systems.
She urged African leaders to treat mobility as both an economic necessity and a gender equity priority.
“Africa’s women are the backbone of cross-border trade yet too many operate under uncertainty, vulnerability and unnecessary risk. Africa needs safer journey.
“When we remove barriers for women, we remove barriers to Africa’s growth. Free movement is therefore not only an economic priority, but also a gender equity imperative,” she said.
